Although I love Yankee Candles I have decided to stop buying them for a while as I have quite a stock of these and other scented candles waiting to be used up. Most of the ones I have are favourite fragrances which I have used time and time again, but I have recently tried one that was new to me, Apple Cider.

I bought this one a while ago and it was an online purchase, so I bought it without knowing what it smelled like. One of my favourite fragrances is actually the Pomegranate Cider, so I was hoping that this would be similar. Once it arrived however, I couldn't really smell the candle much through the wrapping, so it sat in a drawer unused for a while.

I bought this in the form of a wax tart. If you're not familiar with Yankee, a wax tart is just a small disc of fragranced wax which is melted in a tart burner (similar to an oil burner) under the flame of a tea light. I prefer this format as they are cheap and so it gives me the opportunity to sample lots of different scents. It is also available in a votive candle, tea lights or glass jars, so hopefully something to suit everyone.

Apple Cider is a deep red in colour and the label depicts two glasses of cider each with a cinnamon stick alongside a halved apple. When I unwrapped this, I was very surprised by the scent, as it was much stronger than I anticipated it to be, given that I could barely smell it in the plastic wrapping.

I was pleased to find that the scent is quite similar to the Pomegranate Cider one in some respects and I also think it bears a slight resemblance to Yankee's Home Sweet Home fragrance, so it may be worth keeping in mind if you're a fan of either of those. The scent is a fairly warm spicy fragrance, with cinnamon being evident in there. I'm not usually a huge fan of the spicier scents, however the spice in this scent is matched by a fruity tone of sweet macintosh apples. It's a beautiful, warming and homely scent in my opinion, although I would say more suited to the autumn/winter months in my opinion than the warmer spring/summer.

When burning, I thought the apple came out more strongly and the spice, although still noticeable, was more muted than when solid. The intensity of the fragrance was perfect - it could be clearly smelled in the room, but it wasn't too intense or 'in your face'. I also found that once the tea light had gone out, the apple-cinnamon smell lingered for around an hour or so. Each wax tart gives around eight hours of fragrance, which I think makes this excellent value for money.

I bought this wax tart from www.yankeedoodle.com however Yankee Candles are also available on the high street from Clintons Cards - and many independent gift shops also stock them. The following burn times and prices are average and may vary...

Wax Tarts - £1.10
Votives - £1.60
Small Jar - £7.45
Medium Jar - £15.45
Large Jar - £18.45
Tea Lights (pack of 12) - £5.99

Overall I have been very pleased with this scent. I love the apple/cinnamon mix of fragrances which is warming and homely and the scent is the perfect intensity whereby it is neither too weak nor too overpowering. I would definitely buy this fragrance again and it is one that I would recommend.